Get back to the office! But why?

Oh! Bah! This phone! I hate this keyboard that sneakily changes words just as I post!

Are you not talking to me, Grandad?

To some extent that's what I've done MissA. Seeing as I've got this hulking great office chair, desk, computer and phone in what was "the spare room", I've spent a bit of money on shelving, lighting and making it a more comfortable and pleasant place to work in. My employer has also paid for me to have faster broadband, so I've benefited generally.

In Germany, people can claim a tax allowance for having a home office. (Just saying.)

And you can in the UK too growstuff. Gas, electricity and telephone calls are all tax deductible if you have to work from home, rather than choose to work from home.

The difference is that in Germany anybody can claim it, even if you don't work at home.

The amount I can claim (and I'm self-employed) is negligible.

Oh well, best working in Germany then.

City centres will have to adapt. Some companies have had to close down their offices as it would take too long to get all their staff to the 22nd floor in one lift, as you are only allowed one or two in the lift at a time. Many local eateries and cafes have been doing good business. It seems we can close down mines, steelworks, car factories, manufacturing etc but people are worried about the sandwich industry. It’s understandable that people don’t want to do an expensive, uncomfortable and long commute when they don’t have to. Funnily enough, the government can’t force private businesses to reopen their offices. Companies are saving money on cleaners, canteens and rents. It’s a win for them.

It seems we can close down mines, steelworks, car factories, manufacturing etc but people are worried about the sandwich industry

That’s a very good point vegan.

Local authorities could help reshape town centres by altering the impact of their taxes so as to influence property use. Perhaps business rates could reflect the number of people working in a building as well as its situation and size? It would need a different set of calculations, but could affect traffic flow in given areas, among other things.

Many people might relish working from home for the rest of their lives, but many high calibre employees with drive and ambition could miss the communal workplace. I'm guessing it would depend on the environment in which you work. A friend of our son works for Google in Victoria, London. He can choose to go in to work as and when he likes, but he says a good 90% of the employees can't wait to spend every waking hour there. Aside from the free meals, gyms, back massages, counsellors, hairdressers, pets etc in the office, it is the mental stimulation of working alongside other boffins which draws them in more and more. They feed on each others' innovative ideas.
The company is actually rated as one of the happiest and productivity is amazing. There are other similar workplaces nationwide. OK , they might not attract your average office worker, in fact most of us wouldn't be considered clever enough to even get an interview, but they do play a vital role in the world of business. Just having a long dining table where employees can chat over lunch is a simple but effective way to encourage people to communicate and build a community. The irony is that a company with technology at its heart still wants its employees to interact physically in the office.
Working at home will naturally make people more insular and self contained which maybe is great for paper pushers in some jobs, but offices will still be needed for the more dynamic employees to develop and enrich their skills.

vegansrock, in regard to your post @07:07 today, canteens are very much a thing of the past. A restroom in an office environment is these days provided in which staff have to provide their own food and drinks that normally come from vending machines.

Cleaners are now in high demand as companies that have operated throughout the lockdown have required much higher cleaning and sanitising standards which has brought a demand for extra cleaners. As many more other companies return to office-based working that demand for cleaners can only further increase.

In regards to people not wanting to return to making commutes, that will be a decision their employers will be making for them. All essential workers have had to continue to make those commutes throughout the crisis with no option given to them.

Personally, I believe that office and other workplace based employment will return as the prime method of working and that would not be a bad thing if the recession that lies before Britain now is not to be even further deepened.

By the way, when you are working from home you tend not to go to the local cafe to buy coffee and sandwiches, you just raid the fridge and only the local supermarket benefits from that.

The British practice of eating and working at your desk is appalling, and working from home encourages that. One only had to look at the streets and parks of London at lunchtime to see workers out in the sunshine (rain?) happily eating their lunches and socialising. It was quite a challenge to get a table in a restaurant at lunchtime.

People eat at their desks in offices. I'm not sure where you get the idea that they're all out in parks.

Ellianne, your post @08:01 today is "spot on". ?????

grandad there are certainly canteens in many offices. my DS works in a large city firm where free meals were provided, plus gym membership and all sorts. He still prefers to work from home for at least part of the week as the commute is so dire. He has a choice. Some people who wfh go to local cafes where they can take their laptop and use their wifi and meet others, there is one such near us. Yes most at home will make their own coffee and sandwiches, but many take their own lunch to work and have a coffee machine in the office so don’t visit the likes of Pret. I think many city centres will change and evolve, which isn’t a bad thing.

And your post 08:13 Ellianne. ?????

It doesn't matter what anybody on here says, companies will make the decisions. It's interesting that pensioners think that workers should return to working in offices, but the workers themselves would prefer to stay working at home, for at least part of the week. I wonder why that is.

People in some companies were already working at home long before the pandemic,

It's amazing how upsetting people find change and other people doing things differently to them. I couldn't care less if people want to work in an office, but people get very upset about a different way of working. It shows quite a lack of creativity and flexibility, the exact opposite of the google situation I would have thought.

People eat at their desks in offices. I'm not sure where you get the idea that they're all out in parks.
The younger people I know do not usually eat packed lunches at their desks. They go out of the office to spend their money on their favourite beverage and filled bagel. They are more health conscious and go for a walk or drop into the gym. The fitness industry is heaving at lunchtime with those wanting to workout, it doesn't have to be in a park, there are alternatives I know that.

I understand from a reliable source that there have been concerns about security with some people who work from home, their technology is not equipped to deal effectively with this. There are groups of people whose work needs to be secure.
I agree with someone up thread who said large offices are not necessary, local offices in smaller towns would help everyone.
One way and another for a lot of people life is going to be very different, its scary.

growstuff

It doesn't matter what anybody on here says, companies will make the decisions. It's interesting that pensioners think that workers should return to working in offices, but the workers themselves would prefer to stay working at home, for at least part of the week. I wonder why that is.

It is because pensioners are frequently change adverse.

Or Luddites if you prefer!☺️

Good post Ellianne. I’ve been going to the office continuously since lockdown and resisting any attempt by my employer to make me work from home. I really like going to work - the interaction with colleagues etc and would hate to WFH. I can’t imagine many young people preferring to WFH, it must be older people with families around and it enfuriates me that so many people are worried about going back to the office. I’m 63 and have no intention of retiring, as long as I’m able to go OUT to work.

I think human beings, especially the younger generations, have short memories. They will forget about this pandemic and its restrictions very quickly and will want to be back out there again doing what they do best.... spending money and socialising. Doing these things within the communal workplace is how they like to function
You won't change the way they are.